O Holy Night

And so it is Christmas.  I have had so much fun making cards this year...

4Rosie Zentangle Pattern Deconstruction

Hey there tangling friends!

I thought I would do a blog post for each of the patterns I have created. They won't be enormously long, but I hope they'll help some of you understand the line work and shading a little better.

I published the pattern at the beginning of June 2016, but I've found an example in my pictures from a year earlier. It's funny how we have designs that we gravitate to, even subconsciously. I love the way it's squishy and sharp at the same time, and that there are lots of different ways of filling it and shading it. Rick and Maria recently published Book introducing the new terms Reticula and Fragments, which is about taking bits of a pattern and playing with them in a grid. This gave me the idea to try 4Rosie differently.




The original basic pattern has 4 sections in a square shape. As you can see in this picture you can add as many sections as you like, which make it much more organic. I have added Aquafleur to this drawing - another favourite of mine.












This is the basic deconstruction of 4Rosie, as found on here. I have done different designs in each central petal - stripes, leaf pattern, Betweed and bubbles. I also often just colour them, as above, leaving some white showing where the light will hit it - which makes them look rounded.



















This picture is from October 2015 and is the first example of 4Rosie that I can find (bottom left corner). You can see how it has evolved into the step out and then to the more organic example athe top.














The last few weeks I have been looking at how 4Rosie would look at as grid pattern and playing around...

Here's the first wobbly doodling page! I could definitely see good possibilities.














I decided to do a tan tile with the grid pattern. The progress shots show how I did it...



I started by drawing a grid with a ruler (my hand was very wobbly that day!) And then drew the original pattern in the middle, then there's 2 corners with the pattern pointing inwards, which I really like. I used one quarter of the design in 2 corners, with a little petal to balance it out.








Adding colour.

Colouring finished, using white pencil to highlight areas where the light would hit.













Starting to add shading - at the bottoms of the petals where they touch the green borders and on the rounded tops. Also where the petals overlap each other and in the middle to show depth.

Here's the final tile - very pleased with how it has turned out.

Another more organic version, again with Aquafleur.




















This blog has good informative about Zentangle Fragments and Reticula...
Tanglemania Blog

There are two videos on YouTube with 4Rosie tutorials...
YouTube 4Rosie
YouTube 4Rosie

Following Yonder Star

Hey there tangling friends!



The season of Advent is upon us and our lives will be frazzled for the next few weeks, but my eye is on the journey to the stable and the true reason for the season - whilst battling through stuffed shops, wading through piles of cards to be made and then written, the annual fight with Sellotape and wrapping paper and hurried conversations as we rush to the next task.













There has to be some slowing down, pausing to reflect on the Gift of Love, stopping to spend time with your loved ones. I may just be able to help you slow down a little, take half an hour to mindfully colour these stars I've designed for you. Concentrate on the strokes of the pencil and shut out the din of all those demands, meditate on what Christmas means for you and your loved ones.

Here's the link...Christmas Stars

Here are the progress shots of the process of drawing stars. I used a compass, protractor and ruler to draw the circles and mark off sections to give me as many points of stars as I want. As you can see, there are some with 4 points, 5 points, 6, 8 and 10.

I'm hoping to do a tutorial for this type of mandala after Christmas to show you all how easy it is!

Here are a couple of the stars with added colour.

Have a blessed Advent.

Wholehearted Inspirations - Kind Words for the Soul

Hello my tangling friends,

I have taken the plunge and created a Facebook group called Wholehearted Zen, Gems and Inspiration. I keep doing these brave things and the support from the tangling community is amazing. I am blessed to be part of it. 

Click here to join us. 

This is the picture I have drawn for the group

I wanted to be able to share my drawings with a little inspiration too. So each drawing should have some Zentangle inspired art and an inspiring quote – this could be anything uplifting…as I’m a Christian I will sometimes post Bible or faith-full quotes…everyone is free to post from any faith or none, from any Holy book, from poetry, from inspiring people, or even just one word.  I’d love to see gemstones on your pictures too. ALL are WELCOME.

The first group challenge is to share your favourite quote - what has really inspired you? Helped you through tough times? Or captured a memory perfectly?

Hope is an anchor for my soul Hebrews 6:19

This is my favourite, inspiring and comforting Bible passage.

















This is my first go at a black gem. I'm rather pleased with it and will definitely be doing more. The grey paper always shows off colours really well. I'm still learning to shade with colours and coloured paper some how makes it easier.



Never ending Grace. 

Be still. Breathe. Take five minutes to calm yourself in the chaos of modern life.

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10



(Click here for the link to my turquoise ebook tutorial)

This drawing was great fun! Reminds me of a jungle with the stripes and leaves! It also reminds me that sometimes I just have to have faith and let go of worries.

Finally, here's a sneak peak at what else I'm working on.

Sssshhh! Christmas is Coming...

This last week or so, I've been trying to start plans and preparations for (sshhh!) Christmas. I've decided to hand make our Christmas cards, as I've done for the last few years. This year I'm working on black paper, to add a little sparkle, and on tan paper, which is helping me to learn how to shade with colour pencils.

I'm not sure why coloured paper lends itself more easily to working with coloured pencils, but you can see on these tiles how much more effective the colours are, as opposed to white paper. It seems to really make the drawing pop off the page and I'm so pleased with the results. These drawings will be great on Christmas cards, probably with added glitter if my kids help!!

I have used Eni Oken's Glow on the Dark technique for these black paper snowflakes. There's also a turquoise gemstone in the middle of the top picture.

The blues on these two pictures aren't showing up as well as in real life, you'll have to take my word for it that they look great!

This week I have also drawn a large snowflake mandala, the template of which is listed on Etsy. Children and adults will love to colour this, giving you an hour of mindful relaxation during the crazy chaos of Christmas. You can use blues like I have to make a snowflake or you could use reds and greens, turning it into a Christmas wreath. There's a turquoise gemstone in the middle of this one too! Get my guide to drawing turquoise stones here...Turquoise Guide

Get the snowflake mandala download here...Snowflake

My Coloured Snowflake Closeup

All the wintry designs together

Turquoise has taken over my life!

What a busy and exciting week I have had. The launch of my Guide to drawing Turquoise Gems has been slightly nerve racking, but the feedback I've had from friends and buyers has been amazing. Just one of the reviews...
"I am so happy I ordered this. It's the perfect addition to my library. There are a number of really good and useful tips and it will certainly help me in creating those gorgeous gems."

I have coloured this A5 design, which shows some of the many different colours of this stone. You will receive this sheet blank when you download the Guide, but only for a limited time. (It's an A4 sheet, which has two different designs on it, ready for practicing those stones!)

Find the Step by Step guide here...
Guide to Drawing Turquoise Gems with free practice sheet

I also finished the mandala that I have put the blank template of on Etsy. Of course, I had to colour it turquoise! Find the downloadable design here...Mandala blank template

The completed Mandala is now framed and you can buy it here...
Framed Blue Chakra Mandala

Well, after all the fun and excitement, I really needed some time to switch off and get into the Zen Zone. So I spent some time with a new to me tangle pattern, Fun Cycle. I love this pattern and can see many possibilities with it - not least adding a few gems (probably turquoise!) 

Finally, I have drawn some turquoise stones that have a hint of purple...

Thank you for reading. Sending oodles of blessings to you.

My Turquoise Stone Ebook is Here!

Learn how to draw stunning turquoise stones just like these to add to your doodle and tangle art. They really do enhance your work.

Oh, so excited! I have been busy creating an ebook Turquoise stone tutorial. It is now live on my etsy page - Wholehearted Etsy shop - and, for a limited time, it will be come with a free practice sheet. I have hand drawn two designs on A4 size paper, giving you two different  A5 designs with lots of spaces to practice your turquoise gems. 



I absolutely love turquoise stones - there are so many types and shades that they cover the whole colour spectrum. I would very much suggest you have a look at the real gems - get an idea about all the different hues, from very dark to very pale. There are also many variations in the make up of turquoise - some have stripes, others have very pronounced markings,  some are a fairly uniform colour. And then there's the veins that run through the stone - sometimes black, sometimes shimmering gold and copper.

Turquoise was among the first gems to be mined, and many historic sites have been depleted, though some are still worked to this day. These are all small-scale operations, often seasonal owing to the limited scope and remoteness of the deposits. Most are worked by hand with little or no mechanization.

An absolutely stunning turquoise specimen from Los Cerrillos, New Mexico at the Smithsonian. Cerrillos turquoise was widely used by Native Americans prior to the Spanish 
conquest.










I have been asked many times about drawing gems, especially turquoise, so I decided it was time to upgrade the very basic handwritten tutorial I wrote a while ago. The main thing I'm asked is about how to get all the different colours in the drawing. This ebook explains the processes to get the magical blends of blues into your gem.


To learn more and get this ebook, please visit this page...
Wholehearted Shop